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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: craft · present · band · tear · rule · scale · pitch · prune

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. present — the time now
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. scale — size or range
  6. present — there
  7. craft — a skill
  8. prune — to trim
  9. craft — boats
  10. scale — in music
  11. band — a music group
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. pitch — completely
  16. rule — government
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. tear — to rip
  19. band — a ring
  20. prune — to trim
  21. present — a gift
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. rule — a law
  24. craft — a handicraft

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com